Illusions and Reality: The Night of Chratylia
by Jacqui
Summary: This story is pretty much dead. So whatever you read is all there is. I didn't get enough reviews to persuade me to continue writing it.
1. Prologue ( kind of )

The Night of Chratylia  
( Prologue [kind of] )

  
  
**Disclaimer:** No copyright infringement is intended, all characters belong solely to the creator, Joss Whedon. On the other hand, this idea belongs to someone I met on aol but forgot to get his name before he changed his SN. So, I won't take credit for the idea of Angel turning human the way he did. Since I have no contact with him, if you wanna use this, ask me first please. ^_^   
  
**Pronunciation and Reference:**  
**Chratylia:** ( pronounced Shruh-teel-yuh )  
  
  
  
  


#### The Girl

  


She had finally found her place in Sunnydale, without him, and with someone new. She was happy. She had waited so long to have everything fit together, to be whole. Little did she know that the fates would not let her keep it, all that she worked so hard for. It would all be shattered to nothing without warning.   
  
  
  


#### The Boy

  


He had found his place in society, even if it was only at night when he could fully operate that place. In L.A. things were as they always had been, evil and in need of some good to overcome them. He knew it would happen one day. But he never dreamed he would be a part of it the way he was chosen to be, and never would he have suspected the outcome of his involvment.   
  
  
  


#### A Revelation

  


The inevitable event that ends of one life, to join two others. Their love was strong enough to give them another chance, a chance that would have to be redeemed through...   
  
  
  


The Night Of Chratylia

  
  
  



	2. An Undesired Loss

The Night of Chratylia  


( Chapter 1 )  
  
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended, all characters belong solely to the creator, Joss Whedon. On the other hand, this idea belongs to someone I met on aol but forgot to get his name before he changed his SN. So, I won't take credit for the idea, Buffy was played by me and he was Riley and Angel. This whole story is more or less mine though, since I typed it all up and what not. If you wanna use it, ask me first please. ^_^   
  
Pronunciation and Reference:  
Chratylia: ( pronounced Shruh-teel-yuh )  
U.I.C.O.: Undercover Investigative Chratylia Organization  
  
  
  
  


#### Buffy's Dorm Room

  


There was a quick but light knock on the outside of Buffy's dorm room door. Not expecting anyone at all that day, she put down the book she was reading, slid off the side of her bed and made her way over to the door. She placed her ear lightly against the thick wood, "Yeah?" she asked slowly. 

"It's me..." came a weak and obviously painful reply in a very familiar voice. Not noticing anything but that voice, her mouth slowly curved into a smile as she opened the door in happiness to see him. Although what she saw behind the door was not what she expected. When she saw him, the look of happiness immediately vanished from her face. As she reflected a look of sheer shock, her jaw slowly dropped. "Are you just...going to stand there...or.." as he trailed off, her eyes darted down to where his left hand was clutching his right side tightly. 

"Riley...what happened?" she whispered slowly, her eyes never leaving their trail of gaze. 

"...trouble...we...Buffy..." came his pained reply, she knew she had to get him to rest so he could explain things to her. So, she slowly ran her right arm behind his back and placed her left hand over his stomach to try and straighten him up, but to no avail. Riley's body was in complete pain, there was no way he could straighten up. As she began moving him into the room, he hesitated outside for a moment as if he was considering if he should really bring his girlfriend into this mess, or if he should even be there at all. "Buffy...maybe I sh..shouldn't be he..ere on second thought..." he whispered in a half mumbled half painful gasp. 

"Wait a minute...Riley tell me what's wrong," she replied worriedly as she moved her left hand to cover his left hand, that's when she knew something was seriously wrong. "My god...Riley you're shaking..." she almost shouted. 

"We found a casket...about a week..or so ago..." he whispered, as she slowly moved him into the room he closed the door behind them with a muddy boot. "...there was strange language...encryption of some...kind..." his solid shoulders rolled forward in a shrug, just slightly, but he wrenched with it, stepping backwards with a grimace to settle his back to the wall. She went with him, still keeping her arms where they were for further support. 

"You have to lay down...or rest or..." she gently bit her lower lip and lifted him from the wall in an attempt to get him to the other side of the room to her bed. 

"Buffy...our experts couldn't crack it.. we couldn't open it...by Monday..they'd pretty much f-figured it was useless.." his pain was growing worse, not to mention he hadn't looked at her once since he'd shown up at her door and it was beginning to scare her. "Somebody's thinking otherwise....someone wants that casket..." he was hardly able to get the words out. 

She whispered gently, "Riley...who is this somebody? I mean what's going on that's making you act this way...?" It was becoming quickly evident, by the dialation of his eyes, and the sweat lining his brow in the particularly cool room, that he was injured somehow. 

"All we could...make out was Chra...Chratylia..." as he swallowed back against the air, he finally accepted her aid in standing, still partially using the wall as a support. She kept her left hand over the one he held over his right side, she knew he was hiding it from her. Breathing in deeply, she tried to move his hand away from the wound he was trying to conceal from her. "What happened to you out there Riley? Why is it so hard for you to tell me what happened?" 

"It's..the government..an underground branch," not being in any condition to battle her touch, he let his arm go limp but kept his hand partly over the wound. The lower portion of his shirt that had a thickly padded canvas vest was torn and ripped. The flesh was exposed beneath, or what could still be called flesh..that as well, torn and punctured as if he had been sent through a metal grinder. Rags had been pressed to it, although no good had been done. "They call thems-selves the U.I...C.O..." evidence was beginning to show that he was ready to give up, though he was trying to keep himself concious for her. As she stared at the wound that had been bleeding accesively, she was now becoming all mixed up with frightening emotions. 

"Riley...I don't understand....what happened to you is all I want to know," she began feeling the tears in the back of her eyes but she blinked them back. 

"They came in armed with pulse rifles.. I-I think I'm the only one that got out..." his voice was quivering slightly, his skin feverish and clammy to the touch; his features, on the other hand had taken on a ghostly, pallid tint. "They're..cleaning the place...nothing we can..really do," he whispered so lightly she barely heard him. He was struggling to keep his eyes open, but he kept them toward the floor because he hadn't wanted her to see how terrible they looked. His body twitched beneath her touch sparatically when too large of a breath was drawn, he had the idea it wouldn't do much good. He wasn't exactly wanting to make it worse; although, he didn't know, she may have been able to help. 

"You have to rest or lay down at least...I can help fix that wound while you tell me what happened... " she said without hesitation. She gently made a motion for him to move and almost stumbled, but she regained her balance. She now allowed him to lean on her for complete support, he needed rest because they both knew his wound was fatal. As he put his arm around her small shoulders for support; he knew her small frame was more than strong enough to hold him up as a result of her extensive training. She began moving slowly across the room, when they finally reached her bed, she gently kneeled down and let his now limp body slide slowly onto the covers of the bed. He gasped painfully as he landed on his back, a new angle his body didn't exactly agree with. 

"Chratylia...it's some.. I don't know, talking about the hellmouth.. " it was getting hard for him to say anything anymore, but she needed all she could get from him. 

"...What about the hellmouth..exactly?" she asked directly after he had finished his sentence. 

"I don't know.." he whispered painfully, "too cryptic." 

She looked down at him, "I have a bad feeling about all of this...but I think something's going to happe--" she then realized and hoped against all odds that she could be wrong and didn't finish her sentence. 

"You think..." as he trailed off momentarily into a grimace, he tried to become situated. But even as it was, he could feel the bullets lodged deep between ribs and internal organs. As he shifted to get comfortable with the bullets that had already begun sinking deeper into him, more blood bubbled in protest from all wounds on his body. "..You think what's.. going to happen..?" then his head flopped back, neck limp and appearing almost boneless. 

"Riley...oh my god..." she reached over to lift his head back into position so as to not let him pass out too quickly. "Riley...are you not telling me something..? I need to know what's going on..." her voice slightly rising with every word she said. He was struggling now to get out any word possible, all the while he was growing weaker and more dissoriented by the minute. 

"Something..about that casket's..." he trailed off for a moment, his amber-hued irises half hidden by heavy eyelids, but he willed them open to look up at her, "...wrong..evil...I don't know...but they wanted it..and didn't..want any...anyone else to know." Her gaze was fixed on his, this being the first time he'd ever looked at her since his arrival. Suddenly, she had been hit with the pain and agony that reflected in his glassy, clouded eyes. "..I've endangered you.." came an anguished whisper, she turned her eyes from his and onto his now, tangled looking figure. She could feel the tears stinging the corners of her eyes but she held them back. 

She gained as much of her senses as she could and began questioning him again, "I can take care of myself...I want to know who did this to you..." she knew she had to stay strong and not lose control over what was happening. 

He then let his eyes close in as rapt concentration as he could devise, but he let out an exasperated gasp and shook his head in confusion, "Never saw a face..." She wasn't going to give up on him yet. 

"Well then where were you when this happened?" standing up slowly, she walked to a desk on the far side of the room. She retrieved a towel that was draped over a chair that sat beside the desk and returned back to him. "You can't do this on your own now, you need me to help track down whoever did this... " She stared at him for a moment as if she hadn't known what to do. 

"I..." he trailed off a moment and concentrated on his breathing until a particularly troublesome moment had passed. "I'm not sure..how much tracking I'll be doing.. I don't think I can..move again," she came back to reality just as she heard those words, and she pretended not to take them as he meant her to. She gently pressed the towel onto the wound, trying as hard as she could not to cause him any more pain than he was already going through. 

"Just stay still or you'll lose more blood...I'll track these people down for you..." He forced his eyes to open so he could look at her, she watched him struggle to keep them open; his eyes were being held closed by the pain. 

"Don't.." came an agrivated groan as he adjusted and moved his left hand away to give her better access to the wound, "...stay with me..." Her eyes looked at him worriedly, unable to hold back the tears any longer, she let them run freely in hot streams down her face. 

"Riley I can't just let them get away with this...what they've done to you..." What if Riley didn't survive this? What if she was alone again? No, she had to keep him alive, not just because she loved him, she needed him to help her find this casket...whatever it was. He slowly worked his fingers free of the tangles of rags she had placed over his wounds and raised a hand up to run his fingers lightly across her cheek, his glazed eyes falling on hers. She reached up with her left hand, grasped his hand tightly and closed her eyes, wishing this had never happened and everything would go back the way it was. "Riley I have to do this...you can't even move...I just..." she opened her eyes forcively and looked at him with an intense look of distress, tears still draining down her cheeks. He, too, now had tears streaming from his closed eyes, he was just realizing how beautiful she was and that he'd never see her again after this day. 

"..Buffy..don't...I'm not.." he cleared his throat against unfelt liquid, "I don't think..I'll.." the words 'make it' not exactly able to be forced out. His breathing sharpened just at the attempt of trying to speak a single word. 

"What...?" she kept her eyes still, straining to see him through the blurring tears. "Riley just let me handle this..." she moved her free hand to the towel over the wound and applied a small amount of pressure to try and stop the bleeding that seemed to have become worse due to his movements. The towel had already been completely soaked with blood, there was nothing left for it to sponge up. His eyes were lazy it seemed, not really able to find a genuine focus anymore; he didn't wince and he didn't even blink at the applied pressure. His body was going numb to any sort of sensation, pain, or movement. 

"...Don't leave Buffy..." still feeling his hand against her face, she slowly closed her eyes again and tightened her grip on his hand. 

"I can't just watch you die like this...I have to find out what these people want..." she began whispering aloud, although her words didn't appear to be directed at anyone in particular. He wouldn't force her to stay, he'd never do such a thing. As he weakly tugged his hand free, he let it drop beside him with an accepting nod. 

"Buffy..." he whispered dryly, "...you'll make the...right de--" it was no more than a few seconds later that the last breath was drawn past pale lips, when his head went limp and his eyes fell half-way closed. She noticed his blank gaze never shifted from her face until the life had passed from him. She wiped her tears away slowly, only believing he'd passed out from the pressure of the pain in his side. 

"Riley?" it wasn't until she placed a palm over his chest that she knew. "Riley...n....no..." blinking back her tears as she felt them come on twice as strong now resulting from the truth she didn't want to believe. Not a motion was made, his eyes remaining partially sunk and his chest no longer rose or fell with painful breathing, just cold silence. Her jaw dropped and she began shaking slowly as she knelt down closer to him to see if he might still be moving at all, in any way. "Riley you can't be...you can't be dead..." She then placed her other hand over his chest to feel for a heartbeat with both hands, her mind going wild now, thinking this was some cruel dream. When she found the sound absent, her head slowly went back and forth in protest as she whispered over and over, "No..." 

Down below, just outside, the sound of gunshots and yells of men filled the air. Whatever had happened had gotten out of control, and innocents were going to suffer. Faintly hearing the noise outside, but too entrapped in her own suffering at the moment to realize they had come for him and possibly whoever was with him or had anything to do with him. "Riley don't leave me li...like this..." she placed an ear against his chest only to hear yet another dead silence, still trying to deny the fact that he was gone. When they got closer, the sounds never ceased as heavy boots could be heard outside on the pavement. Now she began to hear them getting closer and louder. "My god...okay um..." blinking quickly to regain her focus, tears still making tracks down her face, she quickly ran to the door to her room and double bolted it for extra time although she knew it wouldn't hold them long. His broken form remained still on her bed, twisted, but at least where she could be the last thing he ever saw; long gone now and even through death, a trouble to her, like a magnet his killers were coming to finish the job. Looking everywhere for a place to hide from the one's who had killed her lover, she knew she couldn't escape now. She ran across the room and sank to the floor next to her bed and slowly began pulling herself underneath it. She had very little room under it seeing as how it used to be on the floor completely, the tears came again as she remembered when she had Riley level it up for her; and the night they first slept in it after he'd fixed it. 

"They'll die for this...they'll wish they never came to Sunnydale..." The minutes ticked by until a hammering was heard on her door, seconds later it finally splintered open and half a dozen sets of boots came raging into the room; stopping at the foot of the bed where his broken corpse lay. There were a bunch of murmured words, so quick they were, that they took only minutes before they all quickly sped back out of the room, towing his lifeless form behind them. Listening as the sounds of the boots got fainter and fainter, she quickly pulled herself out from under the bed and looked toward the spot where Riley used to be. "They...I can't believe this...he's dead what could they possibly still want or get from him!" she yelled in rage, the tears started painfully stinging the corners of her eyes all over again as she slowly fell onto the bed, trying to comprehend how this had all just happened out of nowhere. He was alive just yesterday, this morning, what did they do to deserve losing each other? She then realized she had to find out what this 'Chratylia' was...and how to destroy it for what it had done.   
  
  
  
  


To be continued....

  
  
  



	3. New Found Tradgedy

The Night of Chratylia  


( Chapter 2 )  
  
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended, all characters belong solely to the creator, Joss Whedon. On the other hand, this idea belongs to someone I met on aol but forgot to get his name before he changed his SN. So, I won't take credit for the idea, Buffy was played by me and he was Riley and Angel. This whole story is more or less mine though, since I typed it all up and what not. If you wanna use it, ask me first please. ^_^   
  
Pronunciation and Reference:  
Chratylia: ( pronounced Shruh-teel-yuh )  
Chratyl: ( pronounced Shruh-teel, he is the demon who guards the gates of hell )   
  
  
  


#### The Next Day

  


She had come straight home yesterday and cried herself to sleep, and neither Joyce nor Dawn were particularly interested in inquiring why; they didn't want to double the chances of her becoming more upset than she apparently already was. It hadn't even been 24 hours since she had watched Riley take his last breath, but she still hadn't completely come to grips with the fact that he was gone. When she woke up that morning, she couldn't remember having a dream, or a nightmare for that matter. She had gathered her things together from the floor, next to her bed where she had dropped them the night before. She threw on a pair of jeans, a sleeveless black sweater, and black hiking boots. As she slowly headed downstairs, Dawn ran past her hurriedly. 

"Better hurry up Buffy, I'm already late and well...you're going to be too," she screeched in a cant voice as she turned the corner at the bottom of the staircase. Buffy hadn't heard a word of what Dawn told her, her mind was off in a place it couldn't be reached at that point. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she remembered the last words he ever spoke to her. 

"Buffy....you'll make the right de--" she knew what he wanted to say, she'll make the right decision. What did he mean by it? Did he possibly believe she was going to find who had murdered him and claim revenge? An overwhelming sense of ambiguity flooded her mind, what exactly did Riley mean when he said that? As she walked into the kitchen, she waved her mother toward the door, hoping that Joyce would take it as a sign that she was busy thinking. Joyce let out an audible sigh of disappointment as she rushed Dawn out the door and closed it behind her with a clunk. Buffy was feeling drained and completely disoriented, but she found it in her to turn on the radio that was sitting on the kitchen counter, next to the knife holder. She had spent nearly twenty minutes just trying to decide what she would eat, considering the fact that there were 3 boxes of cereal, bagels, some donuts on the kitchen table, and two cartons of milk in the refrigerator. When she had finally decided on having cereal, she heard her mother return home as the front door opened and closed quickly. 

"Buffy, are you going to class today?" her mother yelled from the entry way. When no answer came, Joyce made her way into the kitchen with a look of confusion on her face. "Buffy? Sweetheart are you okay?" she asked in a concerned voice. She had just pulled a glass bowl from the dishwasher and began walking back to where she had left the cereal, she hadn't acknowledged anything until the radio had caught her attention. 

"This just in, police discovered the body of a twenty to twenty-five year old young man who has been identified as Riley Finn, early this morning. His body was found in the basement of an abandoned building on the border of town. Sources say, the only associations he had were with the late Professor Maggie Walsh of UC Sunnydale where he worked as her teaching assistant until her untimely death, and fellow classmate Buffy Summers..." peices of glass scattered everywhere as the glass bowl hit the linoleum floor, Buffy had frozen in mid-stance as she caught the first few sentences of the news report. Joyce's eyes darted down to the floor and then back up to Buffy, who was now standing in the middle of the kitchen without moving, and completely silent. She began slowly sinking to her knees onto the floor as Joyce kneeled down next to her. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her close in an effort to comfort and console her. 

"Oh Buffy....sweetheart I'm so sorry..." she whispered over and over to the still mute and motionless Buffy. After a few moments she placed her hands lightly on either side of Buffy's face and tilted it toward her own. "Is this why you were crying when you came home last night?" she asked rather randomly. Buffy had barely heard her mother, but she gave a short nod as if she was obvlious to everything else around her. Joyce then put her arms back around her daughter and hugged her close, she began to cradle her lightly so as to ease a little of the pain Buffy was going through. Buffy realized in the very last part of her mind that she had to go to class and face it all. Her friends, her classmates, but worst of all, the reporters trying to scam a quick story and earn their paychecks from her suffering. 

"...Mom, I'll be fine...don't worry about me," whispered an unexpected response. So many obstacles were running through her mind at that point that she hadn't realized what she had said. Of course she wouldn't be alright, her boyfriend's corpse had been found in an abandoned building! Why would the U.I.C.O. take him there? Could she even be sure that it was the U.I.C.O. that had burst into her dorm room the day before? 

"...Buffy? Do you want me to drive you to class? You don't look in any condition to be driving yourself," her mother said with a great deal of concern and worry in her voice. 

"Yeah...yeah mom," she said as she looked back to her mother. She hugged her tightly as a sign of her appreciation for trying to make her feel better, even though it didn't do the least bit of good. She had to face it all, she knew it in her heart, she couldn't wallow in her misery forever. She had to get used to her new life without Riley, 'how' was a whole new battleground.   
  
  
  
  
  


#### UC Sunnydale Campus

  


As Joyce pulled up into the student parking lot of UC Sunnydale, Buffy looked out at the campus from the passenger side window. She'll have to hear the questions, the 'I'm sorry' speeches, and the irrational stories of how they knew what she's going through. As she leaned over to hug her mother, she realized that Joyce hadn't questioned her once about the whole ordeal. Buffy was thankful for that, then she took a deep breath and opened the car door. She stepped out and turned to close the door behind her, she just stood there in silence as she watched her mother drive away. She was on her own now as she slung her bookbag over her shoulder. Crossing her arms in front of her and taking, yet, another deep breath, she began walking toward campus. She hadn't even reached the hall entry way before she began hearing the whispers and gasps of shock. 

"She probably did it..." whispered one girl, while her companion giggled in agreement. 

"Poor Buffy...look at her, she couldn't even dress fashionably because she's so miserable..." whispered another girl to a group of friends. She wanted so badly to turn around and set them all straight, but she also wanted them all to seriously understand her. Buffy pushed open the swinging glass doors with all her anger and pain backing her up, as they slammed shut behind her, she could still hear them whispering and giggling at her misfortune. She clasped her books to her chest tightly as she walked quickly down the hallway to her classroom, of which she had missed half an hour of already. She heard numerous people shout out at her, 'I'm sorry Buffy' and, 'I hope you feel better.' She sure could have used some real comfort instead of the random attempts she was getting. When she finally reached her classroom, she quickly stepped into the room, stopping in her tracks when she saw the looks on everyone's face. 

"Um...Buffy..." her teacher sprang up out of her seat automatically, "I-I didn't expect you to come today...what with the recent...discovery...and all..." As the teacher trailed off, she had forgotten how to phrase her sentence. Buffy nodded as if she understood right away and made her way to her seat quickly. Her attention span was nowhere focused on the lessons being taught in any of her classes that day. When she had finally finished her first day at school without seeing him, she had found her way to the student lounge, where her friends were waiting. As she walked into the lounge, she stopped as soon as she had gotten past the doorway, and stood there. 

"So...Buffy...how's it..." Willow didn't bother finishing her sentence, she knew it wouldn't work no matter what she said. 

"Never better Wil," Buffy answered with the last bit of the Buffy sarcasm she still had left in her. 

"We're all very sorry Buffy, we probably couldn't consciously understand what you're going through right now, but we'll do our best to help you overcome it in any way we can," interrupted Giles, as he stood up from behind a sofa by the window. 

"I second that idea," exclaimed Xander, as he stood up from the sofa he was lounging on. 

"I third...it," claimed Willow, sounding a bit confused by what she had just said. 

"Thanks...guys, really...I appreciate it," Buffy replied with a slight smile on her face. 

"So, how do we plan on doing it?" Willow asked as she looked over at Giles. 

"Yeah, give us the game plan Stan," Xander said, also looking over to Giles hoping that his bad humor would liven the atmosphere. 

"W-Well, maybe we should ask Buffy, I'm not the expert on how to console girls who have just lost their boyfr--" Giles new better than to keep going, "..uh..boy..uh...well, you see.." Buffy's attention was no longer on anyone in the room as she could only center her mind on one thing, Riley. 

"I wonder if he went up or down," Buffy asked out of nowhere. She hadn't even realized she had spoken at all until her line of concentration was broken by Giles nervously clearing his throat. "Oh...I'm sorry...I.." as Buffy was trying to figure out an excuse to cover up her outburst, Willow came over and embraced her best friend tightly. 

"It's gonna be alright Buffy...y'know? We're all here for you," whispered Willow sympathetically. 

"I know Wil, there wasn't a time when you let me down in that department," replied Buffy, returning Willow's embrace. "It's just that...it's going to take a lot of 'being there' for me to shake this, and I mean a lot," she finished obscurely. 

"How about going to the Bronze? I mean, I know...about Riley..and all, but it'll be good for you to get out in public again," suggested Willow. 

"Wil, I was never gone from public in the first place...I just don't..want to deal with all the....talking, you understand right?" answered Buffy dimly, as she broke their embrace and looked at Willow hoping she would agree with her. 

"Of course...Wil understands," Willow glanced behind her to the other two, "Xander and Giles understand too right?" she inquizitively questioned the two. 

"Y-Yes, of course, completely," replied Giles quickly. 

"Gotcha," replied Xander, with half a smile on his face. 

"Um..Buffy...are you going to be on the hunt tonight? Or do you need a break from that too, 'cuz...y'know we'll take over if you don't feel up to it," inquired Willow. 

"No...I'll go...it's what Riley would have wanted me to do instead of pining over him for the rest of my life, y'know?" Buffy replied with unusual ease. Just this morning she could hardly speak, now she's saying his name as if he were still alive and she would see him soon. She wished her thoughts and her heart would make up their minds, so she could find a mood and stay there. 

"Okay, do you want us to keep you company?" Willow asked again. 

"I think I'd better handle this one on my own tonight, but definitely tomorrow night," Buffy replied as she hugged Willow once again. Willow broke the embrace and abruptly pointed toward the exit. 

"Go on Buf, you need to go home and rest if you want to handle patrol at least half-way sanely tonight," Willow comically retorted. With that, Buffy turned around and slowly walked out of the lounge. Willow was right, she needed 'plenty' of sleep if she expected to get through the night patroling without Riley. As she made her way toward home, she couldn't help but believe that she wouldn't admit it to herself; she was scared to patrol without him. One thing was for sure, she needed to find this Chratylia, whatever it was, and stop it before it murdered someone else.   
  
  
  
  
  
  


#### Later That Day

  


She woke up at about eight-fifteen that night, Dawn's music in the kitchen was blaring, and Joyce had to run a few errands. As Buffy sat up and rubbed her eyes gently, she felt a sudden chill, but her window wasn't open. Strangely, the chill had felt completely familiar to her, as if she had felt it all her life. She shrugged it off after a few moments of contemplating it, and she stood up to look around her room for some warmer clothes to go patroling in. Walking over to her closet, she opened it and looked the aisle of full hangers up and down. It took her a while to spot a sleeveless black nylon shirt, her black leather jacket, and some black soft leather pants on the floor under a heap of other clothes. Reaching down, she grabbed the three items and threw them on the bed as she began changing. Almost five minutes later was closing the bedroom door behind her, then she headed downstairs to grab something to eat before she left. When she reached the bottom of the stairway, her eyes caught sight of the picture she had left on the dining room table a few days ago. Her and Riley had went to the mall to see if they could accomplish having a 'normal' date, they saw the picture booth and decided on giving it a try. As she was staring down at the picture, her concentration was interrupted by Dawn as she surprised her from behind. 

"Hey Buffy, can I go patroling with you tonight?" Dawn asked anxiously. 

"I'll pass, thank you very much," Buffy replied sarcastically, as she widened her eyes and pursed her lips together. 

"Why can't I ever go out with you, when you're on the...hunt...or whatever it is you do out there?!" Dawn exclaimed. 

"Don't take this the wrong way Dawn, but you'll only be in the way in case I do have to fight whatever decides to resurect itself from the ground tonight," Buffy replied authoritatively. 

"I can handle it, believe me! I watch the soaps on t.v.!" Dawn shot back, hoping it would sway Buffy's decision. 

"No such luck Dawn, patroling requires serious skill rather than the knowledge of whether or not Janet is going to leave James for Robert and take over the family company," Buffy retaliated. She hadn't known why she was acting this way, she should have been sulking her heart out, yet she was yelling at her younger sister for wanting to patrol with her. 

"Great...what am I supposed to do on a Saturday night by myself if my own sister won't let me do sisterly things with her?" Dawn questioned, obviously trying to throw a guilt trip on Buffy. Joyce had returned from her errands and made it through the front door in time to hear Dawn's little speech. 

"...Go upstairs and clean your room," Joyce exclaimed happily, answering Dawn's question with a slight smirk on her face. 

"Mom! Can I go out with Buffy tonight?" Dawn begged, hoping her mother's decision would help get her out of the house. 

"Patroling isn't your kind of thing, Dawn," Joyce replied steadily, "your thing is being a good kid and cleaning up your room." 

"I'm not...a kid! Grrahh.." growled Dawn as she grasped the railway and slowly began her way up. 

"You're my kid," Joyce replied in a sing-song voice after Dawn. Buffy and her mother turned to look at each other, Joyce knew her daughter was trying as hard as she could to overcome her incredible loss. "I'm very proud of you Buffy," she mouthed slowly, then with a smile, she turned and walked toward the kitchen. "Oh, Buffy! How late should I be expecting you home sweetheart?" she called back as if she had forgotten to ask earlier. 

"Um, I'm not sure...I'll be home before midnight though," Buffy replied, her mind not completely focused on the question. 

"Alright, be careful out there," Joyce replied as she heard the front door open and close lightly. 

What was that familiar chill she felt earlier? Maybe she was just imagining things, after all, she hadn't had this much time to herself to think about anything since the beginning of her 'career' in slayerhood. As she stepped off the porch and walked toward the sidewalk, she couldn't help but get caught up in the perfect silence of the night. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she made her way across the street, then she was suddently hit with the stunning realization that Riley wouldn't be waiting for her when she reached the cemetary. She walked for what seemed like miles, the only thing on her mind was that he wouldn't be there, tonight, or ever again. She hadn't realized how fast she was walking, but her pace slowed as she made her arrival at the cemetary. 

"Sunnydale cemetary...here I am..." she whispered to herself as she lifted her right wrist to look at her watch. It was nine-fifteen, she now had a few hours to kill before going back home. She walked over toward the gate, opened it with a slight creak, and left it ajar without even noticing. She found an unmarked, freshly filled grave, could that possibly be Riley's final resting place? She didn't even known what the police had done with her boyfriend's body after they'd found it; the truth being, in the very back of her mind, she didn't want to know. She decided that it couldn't be his grave because they hadn't done an autopsy or anything with Riley's body yet, from what she knew. She gained her composure back up from collapsing right there on the spot, taking a seat on the tombstone of one of the fresh grave's neighbors. She stared down at the unmarked, packed down soil, and waited. She always had the short end when it came to discovering the demon before it left the grave, she only knew one who could accomplish what she couldn't. Unfortunately, he was nowhere arou--. 

"The prophets refer to it as Chratylia..or the gathering. Where a hundred men will be taken, dead, to the gates of hell and fed to the demon Chratyl. After which he will rise, and bring hell to earth..." he cut her off in mid thought when his voice came quiet, soft from behind. He had slowed to a stop to her immediate left and back three paces as he finished the story, gentle hued irises settled on her. Her eyes then fixed themselves on the gates of the cemetary, as she ran over the things of the previous day in her mind, once more. They kept confusing her, but at the same time making everything clear for the last time that she was alone; the truth she never wanted to have to face, at least not on her own. She knew why she was there, to try and come to grips with Riley's death among other things. After a few moments had passed, she spoke. 

"He's gone...they..." she sighed deeply as she trailed off, not even wanting to finish the sentence. She would only be adding another page to the 'big book of reality' she had been writing lately. 

"..Took him..." His voice was distant, sympathetic, he knew what it was like to lose someone he dearly loved. He was at that very moment, watching the one he had lost, "a sacrifice..." he said, quietly finishing her sentence. She turned to look back at him, her eyes softening against his appearance. Hating that she found herself holding back the tears that were welling up behind her painful gaze, she didn't want to cry anymore. The truth was, she knew she was back to square one; alone and without someone to understand the entirety of all she was, just like him. 

"But why not....me...? They could have taken me....he didn't deserve it..." she whispered, letting a few tears escape the barrier of her lashes and trail down her face. 

His troubled stare bounced away from her, his voice coming in etchy, distant whispers, "I'm glad they didn't...the world needs you.." She swerved around on the tombstone, hopping down from it slowly. Her eyes locked on his expression, she began walking toward him with semi-large steps. She wasn't completely aware of what he was thinking or feeling, come to think of it she never was an expert at that. 

"The world needs me? The world has always needed something, but it hardly needs me the way I am now," she replied, keeping her voice as concrete as she could. Had he the breath, it would have tightened, and quickened, her nearness always affecting him so powerfully. He stared down on her for a good long moment, he wanted so much for the silent gentleness to last. 

"..He'll be waiting for you...now, there..are other things..about Chratylia...you'll need to know." She looked downward, she knew he wasn't going to admit that there wasn't just one reason for his return. She never understood why he couldn't swallow his pride when he was caught in a lie. 

"I...I don't want to deal with this...thing now...I mean what can I possibly do to destroy it..?" she asked, sounding a bit disoriented and confused. 

"..It..can't be allowed to walk..." his brows twitched slighty, dark on pale complected skin. It was much simpler to him, it seemed, she didn't quite appear to understand the process she would have to go through to defeat this evil. 

She was trying so hard to neglect the surge of pain that was returning to her, him returning only meshed old memories with the new and tormented her more. She sniffed lightly and quickly wiped away her tears, changing the subject rather quickly, "Angel...why did you come back..?" 

"..Chratylia.. I.. you'll need help..." he replied a little surprised. He should have expected her to ask that question, after all, he did suddenly show up when she was in the middle of a crisis. He was acceptionally good at coming at the most inopportune times. 

"That isn't the only reason...you and I both know it..." she shot back, she locked her eyes onto his so he could see her determination to get an answer. 

"..It's tonight.." he whispered in reply. He struggled free of her stare and began moving away, his lips parting in a vague respire, "that's why." Gritting her teeth, she slowly reached out to gently grasp his left wrist. As her fingers delicately wrapped around his wrist, her touch abruptly brought his eyes back to hers. 

"I've lost Riley, Angel. My heart isn't in the stablest of conditions...the least you can do is try and avoid lying to me..." she retaliated. His steps had been halted at her gentle touch. His gaze flickering towards the slender fingers across his wrist. 

"..You're still..hurting...I don't want to--try and get tangled in the middle.." he whispered softly, closing his eyes. He hadn't wanted to admit that to her, but how could he have kept it in? She was always good at getting him to talk, she had that affect on him. 

She allowed her eyes to slant slowly, "Lying to me isn't making my pain lessen Angel...it hurts me more when I'm lied to. Especially by the one I used to lo--" she closed her eyes tightly, a few more tears had broken through her lashes only to leave tracks down her face. Breathing in deeply, she wet her lips, and asked the question again, "Why did you come back?" If his heart was truly alive, it would have been pounding loud enough for even her to hear it. Hearing those words from the only person he'd ever truly loved in his entire existence, completely and totally ravaged his emotions. Even though he maintained his outside composure, his reply reflected proof enough of what was going on inside him. 

"..You used to..." he replied subtly, following up on her sentence as he slowly pulled free, "..maybe I never stopped."   
  
  
  
  
  


To be continued....


	4. A Compromising Situation

The Night of Chratylia  


( Chapter 3 )  
  
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended, all characters belong solely to the creator, Joss Whedon. On the other hand, this idea belongs to someone I met on aol but forgot to get his name before he changed his SN. So, I won't take credit for the idea, Buffy was played by me and he was Riley and Angel. This whole story is more or less mine though, since I typed it all up and what not. If you wanna use it, ask me first please. ^_^   
  
Pronunciation and Reference:  
Chratylia: ( pronounced Shruh-teel-yuh )  
Chratyl: ( pronounced Shruh-teel, he is the demon who guards the gates of hell )  
Lyrics: 'Goodbye' by [The Painkillers][1] ( but mostly to Cherish Alexander who wrote the music and lyrics )   
  
  
  


#### In The Cemetary...

  


The words hit Buffy hard. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, how he could just say something like that to her without considering her current position. 

"...What?" she whispered in shocked response to his confession. "What are you saying, Angel?" she questioned, further prompting him to open up to her. 

"I..." he started, then closed his eyes tightly, searching for the response he knew she wanted to hear; or at least the response she expected to hear. He then opened his eyes slowly, and gave her the only answer his heart could come up with, "Your love for me may have ended when you found Riley...Buffy...as for my love for you...it was never over..." he finished in a slow, smooth whisper. 

"I can't...I can't believe this, why are you telling me this..?" she asked, feeling completely helpless at the lack of her understanding. 

"I might not...see you again after tonight, I just thought I'd get everything out of the way..." came his rather sudden reply. 

"You can't be serious...what would any of this have to do with you and me and us not...Angel, what are you talking about?!" she almost screamed, he was mixing everything up inside of her. She knew something evil was coming and it had to be destroyed, but why was he admitting all of these things to her now? What bothered her more was that he attached the part about him not seeing her after tonight. What was he talking about? Was it true? 

"Buffy, listen to me...there's something about Chratylia that you need to know...it involves..." he just looked at her with a vague look of inanimate emotion, how could she not see? "...It's dangerous Buffy, deadly in every way imaginable. You'll need help..." he whispered, keeping his focus on her expression which had remained in its state of confusion. She then, slowly ran both hands through her hair in an attempt to move it out of her face. 

"Okay Angel..." she began, "as soon as we destroy this thing, we're going to have a serious discussion to end all discussions we've ever had...about _everything_..." she said sternly. "Now, how are we supposed to-..." she was stopped in mid-sentence when she heard a deep rumbling sound coming from underneath her.   
  
  
  
  
  


#### Chratylia Begins...

  


The thundering sensation felt like the ground would split into millions of peices at any time. The both of them began searching the ground for a source of opening, or at least a place of escape for the demon that was, at that moment trying to break free of it's underworld. 

"Buffy...I know where it is...I can feel it!" he yelled over the tremendous pounding of the earth around them. As he pointed toward the far end of the cemetary, she noticed that it wasn't too far from a particular family mausoleum where Spike occasionally hung out. It would figure, Spike always attracted the negative aspects of everything. 

"How are we going to stop it now? It's already rising!" she yelled back to him over the pounding noise. He began making his way over to the freshly opened hole that was Chratyl's escape from Hell. The demon hadn't quite began the process of invading Sunnydale, so Angel began thinking through everything that could possibly be done. She started after him in a frenzy, she knew now that she wouldn't be capable of destroying this thing on her own. Why? She was scared to do it alone, for the first time in a long time of Slayerdom, she was scared to slay alone. As he slowed to a stop only inches from the deep gash in the earth, she almost ran directly into him from behind while abruptly trying to stop herself. The hole was growing larger by the second it seemed, the pulsing reds, oranges and yellows were glowing brighter all around the inside. As he kept his gaze on the hole that seemed to melt the earth around it, he had to keep stepping back to avoid falling into the gaping hot pit below. 

"Look at this..." she whispered to herself in amazement. "Angel...the ground is deteriorating all around it! It's also getting too....bright..." she yelled from behind him as she instinctively fell to her knees and covered her eyes. He was busy trying to figure out a way to get around the inevitable, although he knew it was useless. The hole had become big enough to where it no longer needed to expand, and the bright yellows, reds, and oranges had faded. Dark blacks and grays eminated from the inside of the pit, causing shadows to be thrown out onto everything in the cemetary. In a last moment of desperation, he grabbed Buffy's wrist and pulled her away from the now dark abyss of shadows. 

"Angel...what are we going to do? He'll come up any minute..." she whispered to him quickly. 

"Buffy, what was the one thing...the worst thing...I've ever done," he began asking, "that I've regreted and had to pay for ever since it was done?" He had to make her understand, even if it meant giving up his own existence so she could continue with hers. 

"Angel, I...we have to eliminate this thing before it gets too strong..." she replied, she knew what he was aiming at and she wanted to avoid the truth of it. 

"I'm the one who's released all of this evil into Sunnydale, Buffy...I opened the Hellmouth. From that came every problem you've ever had...including me," he yelled over the booming of the nearby pit that was now preparing for the arrival of Chratyl himself. 

_I'm dead inside but I'm still alive,   
And my soul it bleeds internally,   
Thirsting for a sip of your smile,_

"This is insane Angel...that demon is going to pull you down with it if you keep talking and don't move!" 

"I'll explain all of this to you some day, Buffy...right now this evil needs to be destroyed before it gets loose into the world. The only way to do that is to feed it the source of it's own creation." As painful as it was, he pulled his gaze from her and turned to face the large gap before him. The demon Chratyl had already begun taunting Angel, summoning him into the hellish underground to do his bidding for "heavenly" rewards. Although Angel had his attention on Chratyl, Buffy was concerning herself with what she knew he was going to do. 

"Angel...you don't have to do this, we can beat it together...I can't do this without you!" she screamed over the coaxing of Chratyl. 

"You won't have to be the Slayer anymore once I've completed the process. I promise you Buffy, I'll make everything right again. I just wish I'd never..." he trailed off, staring back at her for a long moment. The expression on his face appeared like he was completely enamored with her. He knew there was nothing more to say, he had to get this over with before it was too late. He broke the gaze and turned away from her, bracing himself for the dive he would have to take to save her future. 

_A year ago like yesterday,   
Lord you know how hard I prayed,   
To make you stay here for awhile,_

"No! I can't lose someone else to this....stupid demon!" she yelled after him. He moved nearer to the blackness, shielding his eyes from the illuminating light errupting from inside of it. She hadn't realized she was still on her knees, she was still trying to get over the terror of what she was witnessing. A sudden light flashed in response to his approaching, and it caught her attention. She leapt to her feet and began running after him with whatever strength she had, suprisingly, it hadn't taken her long to catch up with him. She threw out a small right hand and clutched his arm tightly in an effort to hold him back. "Angel don't! You'll...you'll die!" 

"...This is the only possible way I know of to save you, and the rest of Sunnydale from literal Hell on Earth!" It was evident in his voice that he didn't want to lose her again, but it was better that he lost her by losing his own life rather than hers. 

"Angel..please...." she begged, "...don't make me lose you too, this isn't the only way to beat it..." 

"Buffy...let me be strong, let me finally put everything right again..." he whispered in reply. He seemed so calm now, as if he knew what the outcome would be and he just accepted it. He quickly turned around to face her, his eyes flickered to a rest on hers. Deep green, liquid pools of emotion stared back at him, hot tears of pure pleading streamed down her beautiful face. If he never did see her again after tonight, he would always remember her crystaline gaze and the affect it had on his heart. Her expression was begging him not to do it, if he were any closer to her he feared he would feel the pain and suffering she'd gone through and wind up staying to comfort her. He couldn't leave without feeling her touch one last time. Lightly placing pale hands on each side of her tear-stained face, he brushed a few tears away and leaned down to kiss her softly. She gently grasped his wrists with both hands and closed her eyes tightly, allowing a few hot tears to make new tracks down her cheeks. 

_Life was better with you here,   
I know it will take some time to fully heal,   
Before we say Goodbye,_

"I love you, Buffy..." he whispered as he broke the kiss, and took one last look at her face. Standing back, her turned around quickly and ran directly toward the gaping hole. When he reached the edge, she watched him dive into the deep pit of surging shadows and blackness without hardly any hesitation. The ground shook violently as the darkness slowly began disappearing, the gap was actually closing itself up. Buffy could hear the deep, agonizing screams of Chratyl's pain as his only entrance to Earth was closing on him. She had also heard other screams of pain mixed with those of Chratyl, they belonged to Angel. She had been left standing there, to watch him sacrifice himself just so she wouldn't have to fight anymore. As the hole finally sealed itself shut, she felt her heart sink as she dropped to her knees.   
  
  
  
  


#### Chratylia Has Ended...

  


Her eyes were searching desperately for a door, or a window she could crawl through to get out of this nightmare. Controlling her thoughts now would be practically impossible, her mind was on over-load. How could he do this? Admitt the things he did, and then just leave like that? Risk his life for something so...senseless. How many times had she wanted him to be strong and do things on his own, only to plead for him not to do it this time? What could he have possibly been thinking in giving his life to this demon? What could he have accomplished on his own that they couldn't do together? Why had he come back in the first place, and lied about his reasons? There was definitely something that Angel hadn't told her about what had just happened. What killed her even more is the fact that she would never know the answers to any of these questions now. Angel was gone, Riley was gone, her whole life was shattered and completely destroyed. 

_Unwanted change is moving on,   
Still holding on to everything,   
Just to be your thoughts for awhile,_

What would she tell Cordelia back in L.A.? Angel had a life there, he had people there who needed him. What was to come of his business down there now? What was she going to do about all of this? She would undoubtedly have to explain to her friends and Giles, wouldn't she? When his lips were against hers in that last moment of goodbye, she remembered the warmth she felt in being so close to him. It was like he was truly alive, although he wasn't even close to having a breath of life in his body. A part of her was glad he was gone, she could finally try to get over losing Riley in peace. On the other hand, some other part of her wished he hadn't done it, he could be there to console her and make all the terrible things in her life just disappear. She always knew he loved her, that's just how he was, but how could he just throw it in front of her the way he did? To end it all like this. She slowly wrenched herself to her feet, keeping her gaze facing downward. She sighed deeply, she was beginning to expect herself to be next. 

_A year ago like yesterday,   
Lord you know I'd give up anything,   
Just to have you here once again,_

She began walking toward the entrance of the cemetary, passing the miniature mausoleum on her way. It looked just like a small playhouse, like the ones schools have for the kindergarteners. As she stopped to look at the small building, she wiped away a few more tears. Hopefully that hole will open up and swallow Spike the next time he comes prowling around here. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket, then turned to leave the cemetary for the night. A sudden shower of bright, glowing lights, followed by a heavy thud from inside the mausoleum had frozen her in mid-step. As she slowly turned toward the mausoleum, she feared the absolute worst, maybe the demon had realized that it had to get her now that it was done with Angel. As she moved toward the large marble grave, she could hear the muffled sounds of anguished moaning. Her heart was pounding hard enough to explode through her chest. She stepped past the two cement pillars on the outside, making her way toward the back of the marble-like house. Her eyes immediately caught sight of something she wasn't prepared for, her heart jumped, clouded green eyes wide in disbelief. 

The words were barely able to get around the heart pounding in her throat, "...Angel..." 

_Even when I lied you were mine,   
Even when you died you were mine._   
  
  
  
  


To be continued....

   [1]: http://www.thepainkillers.com/



	5. The Beginning of the End

The Night of Chratylia  


( Chapter 4 )  
  
**Disclaimer:** No copyright infringement is intended, all characters belong solely to the creator, Joss Whedon. On the other hand, this idea belongs to someone I met on aol but forgot to get his name before he changed his SN. So, I won't take credit for the idea of Angel turning human the way he did, but from here on in, whatever I type is from my own imagination. We didn't really take our RP to this point so I'm more or less on my own now. If you wanna use it, ask me first please. ^_^   
  
**Note 1:** My last three chapters seemed to be flops, for some odd reason more people read my second chapter than my first and third chapter. I've only gotten 4 reviews for the first and second chapters, and 1 review for the third...I must suck pretty bad. If I don't get more than 6 reviews for this chapter, I'll just go on and quit while I'm ahead.   
  
**Note 2:** This is also the last chapter in this series, I'll start a continuing series after this one. ( if my reviews give me that chance )   
  
**Pronunciation and Reference:**  
**Chratylia:** ( pronounced Shruh-teel-yuh )  
**Chratyl:** ( pronounced Shruh-teel, he is the demon who guards the gates of hell )  
**Lyrics:** "Leap of Faith" by [Inside Scarlet][1]. ( in italics )   
  
  
  


#### His Return...

  


The feeling of overwhelming shock penetrated the air around them, she felt as if this was all one big joke intended to be at her expense. She stood there, frozen in fear of possibly another unwanted surprise. She didn't know what to think, what to feel, or even what to say, she went blank. It was definitely him, but there was something about his appearance that didn't quite fit. 

"Bu........Buffy...." came his anguished whisper. 

"Angel...what," Buffy started, almost choking on her own sentence, "...what happened to you?" Angel didn't reply, the only sound she heard out of him was an occasional pain-filled moan. After a few minutes of debating her alternatives, she forced herself to move closer to him to examine his condition. He was turned away from her, curled into a fetal position atop a granite pedestal next to a coffin and shaking almost violently. Buffy looked him over carefully, he still had his clothes, although they were almost torn to shreds. He appeared to be cold and soaking wet, when she gently placed her hands on his arm to make him face her, her jaw dropped so fast she could almost hear it hit the floor. Among the many abrasions, bruises, and pieces of torn material on his body, he had a large gash across his chest that was leaking a red substance. "Blood...you're..." she whispered to herself slowly without hesitation. Deciding against letting her mind trick her once again, she softly touched her fingertips to the red liquid to find that it wasn't cold...but warm. 

"Buffy..." he whispered once again. She gasped when she felt his arms slip around her waist and pull her closer, he was definitely cold. She was shocked at how cold he was, he felt like pure ice. She had to get him out of there before he got any worse, if that was possible. 

"Angel, I'm going to get you out of here," Buffy said quietly. 

"I...need..." he had already begun using resistance with her. 

"Warmth. I know. A hospital bed can give you that," she interrupted, finishing his sentence for him. 

"No..." he argued again, obviously not realizing that he wasn't in any position to do so. Completely ignoring his refusals, she lifted him to a sitting position as her eyes immediately met his in a serious stare. 

"Listen to me, you've willingly gone to Hell to save my life, for that I had no choice," she began, "...but don't think for a second that I'm going to let you die now that you've been given back to me for a second chance, Angel." Hearing her words, they pulled at his heart just as fiercely as they always had. Now he realized he was in no place to fight her. Although his body was still shaking and in enormous amounts of pain, he allowed her move him. She delicately placed one arm around his waist, and guided his other arm around her shoulders while he got down from the pedestal. Slowly heading toward the small door of the mausoleum, she kicked it down with one swift thrust. Easing themselves out of the little marble house, she noticed that hardly anything had changed in the graveyard. It barely looked as if it had been disturbed a few moments ago, she quietly looked into Angel's eyes, which were so glassy she wouldn't stand a chance of finding out what he was feeling. She released a low sigh as she began walking at a slow pace toward the cemetary entrance. 

"Buffy, I can't...I can't go to a ho..hospital," he mumbled in and out of anguished waves of pain. "Buffy...slow down..." he whispered in a warning voice, but her mind was going slower than her feet apparently; she would have ran directly into a tree if Angel hadn't pulled her off to the side quick enough. 

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered. Regaining her composure, she began moving at a slower pace, remembering to keep her mind on where she was going. His smaller wounds were nothing compared to that large gash in his chest, she had to get him out of there, but where if not the hospital? She tightened her grip around his waist as she carefully led him past the gates, out of the cemetary and toward the sidewalk. His body felt like it was growing colder by the minute as she led him onto the sidewalk, she proceeded to carry him toward a nearby police station when Angel held back. 

"T-Too dangerous Buffy, they'll ask questions...h-how about your place..." came his suggestion as she watched him wince at his growing pain. Sighing deeply she realized that there really was no other place to go, she had all she needed at home to doctor him up and besides, he was right about the hospital and the police station. Noticing that he was slipping slightly, she gently hoisted him back up into position and began walking down the sidewalk toward her house only a few blocks away. 

"I have to fix that cut, Angel. It's too deep..." as she trailed off she couldn't help but be happy that he was back. Among the many thoughts in her head, two stood out. Was this a chance for them to have another try at a relationship? Or was this just a chance for Angel to have a real life, the chains of his curse finally broken? They were now only a block from her house, which she could now almost see from where they were. Buffy turned their direction diagonally, Angel followed her lead as if they were dancing, although this was nothing close to what either of them had remembered dancing to be like. His occasional sounds of suffering had only made her pace quicken as she wanted to get him to a safe place. As they crossed to the other side of the street, Buffy suddenly lost her footing and went tumbling forward. She was surprised when she didn't feel her body crash into the building ahead of her. She was against Angel's chest as his back hit the hard brick wall, she heard him cry out in complete agony. His body was in enough physical pain, and he risked being hurt even more to protect her? Pulling back, she stared at him for a moment and everything came back to her. 

"Buffy, I..." he started to say something but she made a motion for him not to say it. 

"It's okay Angel, let's get you to a safer place and we can talk there," she said quietly. Her arm slowly slid back behind his waist, and she placed his arm back around her shoulders as she nodded for them to go forward. Only one question now burned in her mind, if this was a second chance, who was it for and why?   
  
  
  
  
  


#### The Summers Residence

  


As the two slowly came up to the front steps, Buffy very carefully released Angel and directed him to use the wall for temporary support while she fumbled for the house keys in her jacket pocket. When she finally found them a moment later, she put the key into the lock but remembered one detail and turned to face Angel. 

"Since it's been awhile, you know...with you going to L.A. and all, my invitation for you to come in has probably worn off so..." she stopped in mid-sentence as she saw his head move back and forth slightly. 

"Buffy, y-you don't have to do that anymore..." he whispered, adjusting his body a little so that it would ease it's pain on his chest. She stared at him for what seemed like several minutes before turning around to unlock the door. Now unlocked, she pushed the door open and returned back to Angel's side, once again placing her arms around him to guide him through the door. Luckily Joyce and Dawn were sleeping, she'd hate to have to explain her situation to the both of them. 

"Do you think you can make it up there?" she asked, indicating the staircase with a nod before reaching behind her to quietly shut the front door. 

"Do I have a choice?" he answered back, leaving Buffy to wonder whether he meant that sarcastically or truthfully. As she headed up the stairs one at a time, Angel followed her with each step until they made it to the top. 

"That took us..." Buffy whispered, rolling her wrist around to look at her watch, "...ten minutes and fifteen seconds." She heard Angel's mild chuckle as he motioned for her to start moving again. Buffy began slowly walking down the hall to her room, taking extra caution not to make the slightest noise that would wake Joyce or Dawn. As Buffy's mind began to wander once again, Angel pulled back before they passed the door to her room. 

"Right here..." he whispered, turning her back toward her own bedroom door. 

"Oh...sorry," she replied, placing her hand on the doorknob. She twisted it once and pushed the door open, leading him into her room. She turned to shut the door quietly behind her, once again making sure not to wake the whole house up. Guiding him over to her bed, she gently released him onto his back as he hit the plushy comforter below. "Here...." she said quietly as she placed a pillow underneath his head for support. 

"I know...wait here while you go get the supplies..." he said mockingly, reading her expression. 

"Don't move or make a sound," she added before turning to leave.   
  
  
  
  


#### Buffy's Room

  


_Saw you lookin' my way,   
And I came by the other day,_

As the door slowly closed shut behind her, Angel's mind began racing. What was he doing back here? How did he get back here? Why was Buffy being as kind as she was, what with all she's been through in only two days? Normally if she was hurt or in pain she would show it, she wasn't doing that this time. Her room had changed since he last saw it, her bed had moved from one side to the other, posters had changed from the younger teen idols to the more adult and sophisticated ones. His beloved Buffy had definitely grown up since he last saw her, she'd changed more than he could have ever imagined yet, he still knew her. Her smell was everywhere in the room, it was on everything. He felt something on his nose, as his hand slowly moved to find what was there, his fingers hit something wet and sticky. He raised his fingers to eye level, blood, he had no idea his nose was bleeding. At that moment he realized his vampiric sense of smell was gone. 

_Maybe it's just me,   
Somethin' I wouldn't see,_

"I don't know what use I am to you now Buffy..." he said to himself as his eyes found their way over to her bookcase. Mr. Gordo, he remembered the first time he ever saw that stuffed pig. He discovered what it was like to be scared like he had scared Buffy all those time before. There was no telling how he was going to get out of this mess, he wasn't a vampire anymore, he was mortal, a human. He had no way of helping anyone anymore, at least not the way he could have helped them when he was immortal. Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried to relax his body while his mind continued running at full speed.   
  
  
  
  


#### The Kitchen

  


_So I took a leap of faith,   
And I stumbled,_

"There, let's see um...bandaids, alcohol, surgical tape, neosporin, and ah...I'm missing something I know it," Buffy said to herself as she went rumaging through the medicine cabinet after checking her supply list. "Gauze! That's it, um....come on, where are you," she whispered impatiently, "...ah-ha...there we go. Now to get all this stuff upstairs," she finished, finding the gauze behind a bottle of antiseptic. Searching the kitchen quickly, she found a large plastic bowl that her mother had used to hold the soups she made for her potlucks at the gallery. She grabbed it, tossed all her supplies into it and made her way back toward her room. Why had she been acting as if the past two days hadn't happened? This all felt so strange to her, like Angel was someone she had never known before tonight. She had no idea of how much pain he was in, or what he did after that hole had swallowed him up. She remembered hearing his screams of torture as the hole was closing up, she was so sure he was dead. Was he mortal now? Or was he still a vampire and trying to hide it from her? Dawn had never met Angel, she'd have to sooner or later now that he was back in Sunnydale for awhile. How would she explain this to her mom? 

_So here I am,   
And I don't know what to call this,_

"I'm definitely going to need your help in that department, Angel..." she whispered to no one in particular as she came to the beginning of the stairway. Holding the bowl over her head, she began making her way back up to her room. Step by step, all the way up her heart was still heavy with the pain she'd found over the past couple days. Amidst the pain in her heart, she felt a secure calmness that she had never felt before. Her legs were still shaking a little from the astonishment of finding Angel in the mausoleum, but she felt completely still. Finally making it to her bedroom door, she gently twisted the knob and peeped her head in.   
  
  
  
  


#### Buffy's Room

  


"Angel?" she whispered to him. 

"Hm?" he replied just as quietly. 

_'Cause I want you,   
I don't care what the cost is,   
And I want to,   
Find time to make you mine,   
And I want you,   
Yes, I want you,_

"Just checking," she concluded, stepping into her room and closing the door behind her again. 

"Do you have everything?" he asked. To her surprise he hadn't stuttered or mummbled his words once. 

"Yeah, are you still cold?" she asked back. 

_Try to stand up straight,   
Somethin'...it radiates,_

"Thankfully, no...for a few hours there I thought I would freeze to death," he replied. 

"Mom left the heater on, I think that helped," she said, as she sat down on the side of the bed next to Angel. Setting the bowl on her nightstand, she reached in and retrieved a small rag and the alcohol. 

"I-Is that what I think it is, Buffy?" Angel's voice had a reflection of fear in it. 

_I hear you callin' my name,   
Wanting, it all sounds the same,_

"What? This?" she replied, holding up the bottle of alcohol, "or this?" she said, holding up the rag sarcastically. 

"You know what I meant, Buffy, that bottle," he answered as if he hadn't recognized her sarcasm. 

"It isn't Holy Water, Angel. It's alcohol, you're two-hundered and forty something. If you passed history you would know that people used whiskey on their wounds to kill bacteria, this is similar, just without the added ingredients," she stated proudly, realizing that History 101 did serve some purpose in her life. 

"Will it hurt?" he asked. 

_'Cause I want you,   
I don't care what the cost is,   
And I want to,   
Find time to make you mine,   
'Cause I want you,   
Yes, I want you,_

"Alcohol doesn't come pain free, if you drink it or not, of course it's going to hurt. Just imagine this as nothing compared to fighting all those demons in L.A.," she replied, as she opened the bottle and leaned over Angel's chest to pour the liquid over the open gash. 

"Those demons in L.A. didn't pour alcohol on my wounds," Angel retaliated. He winced at the stinging sensation he felt as the alcohol penetrated his open wound. 

"Would you like a pillow to bite on?" she asked again in sarcasm. His look of 'you have to be joking' told her all she need to know. "I'm sorry Angel, that was much harsh," she apologized. 

_I don't know,   
Where I keep my better side,_

"It doesn't matter Buffy, as long as I can heal, I'm sure I'll live," he replied, smiling lightly. She patted the wound dry and cleaned any access dry blood from around the wound. Grabbing the gauze from the bowl, she quickly made a long, thick patch with it. She then grabbed the neosporin from the bowl and undid the cap, squeezing a little on the bottom of the tube to make sure she had enough. "O-Okay...what is that?" he asked suspiciously. 

_I thought I had my pride,_

"It won't hurt, it's a healing medication...it works pretty good too. The scar probably won't be as big if you use this stuff," she replied matter-of-factly. She gently pointed the tip of the tube over the cut and squeezed almost the entire amount into it. She tossed the almost empty tube back into the bowl and retrieved her gauze strip. She sat up a little and eased the strip over the wound, patted it down and then went digging for the surgical tape. 

_But I see you standin' there,_

"I'm going to smell like a medicine cabinet aren't I?" he asked. 

_And I'll never be the same,_

"Probably, but better that than death," she replied truthfully. Finding the tape, she tore off two long pieces and two short pieces for each side of the gauze patch. She placed the long pieces on the longer sides first, following up with the smaller pieces on the shorter sides. "All finished, now for the minor cuts," she said, looking over her work proudly. She didn't see any cuts below his chest, just many minor bruises and a few scratches. 

_'Cause I took a leap of faith,   
And I stumbled,_

"I can't believe this...Buffy I'm actually tired," he said surprisingly. 

"You've been tired before, and you slept too," she replied. 

_So here I am,   
And I don't know what to call this,_

"No, I mean...this isn't from fighting demons or vampires, this is from real need to sleep," he added assuringly, also correcting her. 

"Then you sleep, and I'll clean the rest of these cuts off," she said, as he closed his eyes with an accepting nod. It only took her a few minutes to dab at the smaller cuts on his neck, face, arms, and chest. She applied the alcohol and carefully covered each cut with small or medium bandaids. One more remained that she had left for last, it was a pretty bad cut on his lower lip. She wet the rag one last time, and gently pressed it to his lower lip. Luckily he was a hard sleeper, because he had already fallen into a deep sleep and the sting didn't wake him. A feeling came over her at that moment, it felt like the perfect moment between a couple. Watching him sleep, it hadn't occured to her that he was human, she had been so used to the vampire she knew him to be. He looked so peaceful and serene, she knew that was what he had always wanted, to be with her in complete peace. They had both always wanted a normal life together, but that was when they loved each other and they believed it was forever. Riley had won her heart when Angel left for L.A., it all seemed so fast and then it was gone. She'd lost Riley, another great love in her life, and tonight she thought she had lost Angel for the final time, but she was wrong. 

_All I know is I want you,   
I don't care what the cost is,   
And I want to,   
Find time to make you mine,   
And I want you,   
Yes I'm waitin' for you,   
'Cause I want you..._

"Sleep good Angel, you've earned it. We'll talk about everything tomorrow...we'll sort it all out," she whispered, lightly caressing the side of his face with the tips of her fingers. It wasn't long before she softly rested her head on the unwounded side of his chest and closed her eyes. The last thing that went through her mind before falling asleep was that they both were finally at complete and total peace, for once. 

_Oh, I love you..._   
  
  
  
  


To be continued....or not. ( depending on my reviews )

   [1]: http://www.insidescarlet.com/



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